earthquake
by tatty ted
Summary: A young girl is admitted to The Royal after collapsing on the sea front. Later identified as Erin, the daughter of a policeman in Scarborough; Jill and Gordon attempt to piece together why she disappeared from home and why she's so reluctant to talk. - —Gordon/Jill/OC.
1. PROLOGUE - 7 DAYS BEFORE

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**earthquake**  
_rip to the girl you used to see._

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She grabs the oversized bag from under her bed when she's sure the coast is clear. She can no longer hear footsteps heading up the stairs or along the corridor or the voice of her parents as they head off to bed.

She breathes a sigh of relief as she slowly unzips her bag and stuffs some clothes inside. She's frightened, not really about leaving home but being caught in the act, discovered by her father. He always said she would never get far, not with him being a policeman and all that.

She runs a hand through her hair, her breathing slightly erratic as she wonders about the possibility of leaving. She'd dreamt of it for so long and now it was here, within her reach and it was possible.

Slowly and quietly, she zipped up the bag full of clothes and crept out of her bedroom. As she tiptoed down the corridor, she was careful not to stand on any of the floorboards that creaked. She reached the stairs, got down and stood by the front door, trying to figure out where her parents would've put the keys.

She froze, her breath caught in her throat when she heard a crack on the stairs, "Erin?"

She exhales deeply staring at the sillhouette understanding that it's okay, it's only Amy her sister, "For goodness sake Amy! I thought you were dad."

There was a silence before Amy crept down the stairs further, "You can't leave, remember what dad said?"

"Screw what dad says."

"Where will you go?" Erin doesn't answer at first, she just opens the draw of the table by the door. She picks up the keys inside and squeezes them tightly in the palm of her hand; "I haven't figured that bit out yet Amy but I need to get away from here, away from him."

Both of them freeze in horror when they hear footsteps on the stairs. Erin drops the keys which hit the floor with a thud and she knows she's been caught. She knows what's coming next and dread fills her heart because she knows this was her only chance to escape and it's gone.

"Where do you two think you're going?"

Neither of them answer and their father, the person they are afraid of slams Amy into the wall. Erin flinches at the sound of Amy's back colliding with the wall, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She slowly turns to face her father and without a flinch or a tremor answers;

"Away from you."

The sound of slapped flesh filled the silence, "You bitch, you stupid, stupid bitch."

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**jottings** / this fanfiction is based on a dream i had, if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	2. CHAPTER I

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**CHAPTER ONE**  
_i lost a friend somewhere._

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She sits on the cliff top listening to the sound of the waves as they crash against the rocks. It's a beautiful sound, a beautiful scenery that on a good day like today, (bright and sunny) you can see for miles! She'd arrived in Elsinby on Sunday, three days previously and had yet being unable to find somewhere to stay.

She'd only arrived with the clothes on her back, a few coins and no way of ever knowing where she'd end up. She didn't care as long as it was away from home, back to dad and his violent temper. She stands, still listening to the waves feeling content with herself when she suddenly doubles over in pain.

She clutches her stomach and curses under her breath about bloody women pains! It passes not long afterward and she brushes down her summer dress and walks on, heading onto the beach itself. She reaches the beach and finds a spot on the sand that isn't too busy.

As she sits down, she finds herself staring at the children who are playing innocently and sighs. The innocence of a child was beautiful and yet it made Erin sad because she realised she would never get those years back, her innocence had gone.

The slight breeze caused Erin's hair to fall in front of her face and she brought a hand up to move it away. She smiled slightly when she'd done and finds herself wondering for a second if anyone at home was missing her. It was only then that she felt guilty for leaving Amy but realised that she'd be okay, her dad hated her not Amy.

She moves further to the sea and notices the strange twinges in her stomach again and doubles over, knocking into somebody as she does.

"You alright love?" She hears someone ask. She looks up and grabs their arm before she stumbles backwards and darkness takes over.

/

She comes round, listening to the sound of a man telling her to sit up slowly. She blinks, the sunlight blinding her and she notices that a small group had formed around her. She tries to stand up but the man tells her to keep still and an ambulance would be here shortly.

Hearing the word ambulance sent her into a panic and she desperately tried to get to her feet. She was successful before coming over with stomach cramps again and having to sit back down on the sand; taking deep breathes to relieve the pain.

She closes her eyes when she hears the siren of the ambulance and sighs. She doesn't want to go to hospital because she'd have to reveal her true identity and then she'd be sent home and she really didn't want to go home. She hated home! Anywhere was better then that place.

/

She's lying on the bed in casualty, still trying to take deep breaths. Her abdomen is sore and tender and she hates the pain. She closes her eyes and swallows hard, trying to keep the nausea away, she really doesn't want to be sick everywhere!

"Hello, I'm Doctor Ormerod; can you tell me where it hurts?"

"My stomach," she whispered loosening her grip on her stomach which was relieving some of the tension and pain. Gordon nodded slowly and asked Erin to roll up her top. She began so and noticed the look on his face when he saw her bruises.

He didn't mention them and Erin was glad as she hadn't thought of a cover story. Gordon pressed down on one side of her stomach and asked if it hurt. She shook her head. He pressed down in the middle of her stomach and asked the same question.

She answered it was tender but not uncomfortable. However, as soon as he put his hand on her right hand side, she cried out in pain. She sobbed, the pains feeling like she was being stabbed several times; "It's alright, we'll give you some pain relief."

Erin swallowed before she hears another question directed at her, "Can you tell me your name?"

She considers telling the truth but that idea disappears after a couple of seconds. She decides to play it safe, giving a false name so nobody would suspect anything she wouldn't have to go home.

"I'm Sky," she answers eventually. From now on, in this hospital she will be known as Sky.

"Well Sky, I think you may have a ruptured appendix but I won't know for certain until I run a couple more tests so I'd like to admit you." She nods understandly and as he walks off, she thinks to herself that it won't be bad. At least here she'll be safe for a couple of days and off the streets.

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**jottings** / if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	3. CHAPTER II

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**CHAPTER TWO**  
_was it love at first sight?_

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"This is Sister Brigid," Doctor Ormerod says as he takes Erin to the ward. She nods as she gets onto the bed and looks at the Sister,

"Is there anyone we can call for you? Your mum and dad?"

"No!" She answers a little too quickly and Sister Brigid picks up on her relunctance to want someone from home to be called. She leaves it. She doesn't mention it but call it instinct, there was something Sky was hiding from them.

She's been given some pain relief and it's working, the ache in her stomach no longer unbearable. She doesn't like being on the ward. She feels anxious, like everybody's watching her and everyone knows who she is.

She claws at the bedsheets, biting down on her lower lip drawing blood as she scans the room. She wants to leave. She needs to leave quickly before anyone realises she's not who she says she is and sends her home, or worse; rings her father to let him now she's here.

She finds the exit and looks around, making sure it's clear. She gets out of bed and slowly begins walking in that direction until a voice stops her dead in her tracks.

"Sky, where do you think you're going?"

She turns, her chest still feeling tight. There are tears in her eyes and she swallows as she whispers; "I can't, I can't breathe."

She bursts into tears as she's taken back to bed and gently told to breathe. She can't. She can't breathe. Oh my god she's going to die, she thinks but eventually her breathing returns to normal and the panic attack ends.

"Are you okay?"

Erin's handed a small glass of water by Sister Brigid and she nods her head before taking a sip of the water. She remains silent and even Erin knows that Sister Brigid knows something. There's something she's hiding and she's more worried for the fact they're going to find out what it is.

Sister Brigid's own thoughts are interrupted by the presence of Doctor Ormerod who asks if he can have a word with Sky.

"Hello," he stands at the end of the bed; "I've got your test results back and as I expected, you've ruptured your appendix. Now you'll need an operation but first, there are a few things I need to ask."

He pauses allowing Erin to take in the information he's said before he continues; "On the x-ray there were several old injuries that have healed."

"There is nothing abnormal about my injuries. I was and still am a clumsy individual."

"Sky," his voice is soft and gently, "I saw the bruises on your stomach earlier now, if there's something you're afraid off, you can talk to me in confidence."

"There's nothing honestly." He knows there is. Sky is a girl who's young, roughly sixteen. Judging by the state of her clothes she had been sleeping rough for a couple of days and she probably hadn't eaten for a while either.

He leaves it for now. He knew he wasn't going to get anything out of her at the moment. He explained that because of the state her appendix was in, she would need an operation as soon as possible. She chewed her bottom lip again and drew blood as the Doctor explained there was a spot in the operating theatre this afternoon.

/

She blinks several times her eyes adjusting to the light of the ward. She notices it's late and she swallows hard as she sits up, her body feeling like she'd been run over by a train several times. She coughs several times before closing her eyes again.

She hears footsteps towards the bed and a female voice speak; "How are you feeling?"

She opens her eyyes, her gaze falling upon Matron. She smiles slightly; "I'm fine thank you, I'm just a little sore. May I have a glass of water please?" Matron disappears for a second before she returns with a glass of water. She hands it to Erin who takes it and takes a sip,

"Thank you."

There's a silence as Erin places the cup on the bedside table. Matron takes a seat beside her and asks; "Is there something troubling you?"

"No," she whispers, "Nothing is troubling me except my stomach."

She links it bacck to her condition about the ruptured appendix and being so worried! Matron doesn't believe her but doesn't say another word. She tells her she must get some sleep, tucks her back into bed and turns off the light.

Erin knows she needs to leave. They're getting too close to the truth and then she'll have no choice but to return home. She waits for the perfect opportunity to make her escape and does in the middle of the night, hopefully never to be seen again.

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**jottings** / if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	4. CHAPTER III

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**CHAPTER THREE**  
_as long as you don't leave me._

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It's the morning after Sky's disappearance and PC Phil Bellamy and PC Alf Ventress from Ashfordly Police arrived at The Royal. They were sat in Matron's office trying to get as much information as possible.

"What does she look like?"

"Tall, slim, brown hair and hazel eyed. She was wearing a light blue dress."

"Do you know where she could've gone?"

"I have no idea. I don't believe she's been entirely truthful about herself though. She seems afraid of something."

/

She sits on the cliffs again being soothed by the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. She brushes down her summer dress, swinging her legs backwards and forwards. She's scared. She doesn't know where to go or what to do.

/

Doctor Ormerod sighed when he heard that Sky had gone missing in the night. He wondered if it was him. He was only trying to get her to open up but maybe he'd made it worse, made her feel like she couldn't talk to anyone.

Jill, his wife, knew there was something troubling Gordon this morning and yet she didn't know what. Every time they spoke, every time she asked him if he was okay, he'd lie and say he was. She touched his arm reasurringly,

"Gordon, are you sure you're okay?"

"My patient Sky went missing last night." He sighed, "There's something she's afraid off, I think I may have made it worse by attempting to get her to talk."

"You can't think like that Gordon, you were only doing what you thought was right."

"Can't I? I made it worse Jill and now she's gone," there's nothing spoken the pair of them are silent before Jill suggests about both of them going out and trying to find her as well as the police. Who knows, maybe with a female presence, maybe Jill would be able to get Sky to open up.

Gordon smiled slightly, "Thank you."

/

It reached early afternoon, not long after twelve when Phil Bellamy came back to The Royal. They'd had a report of a missing girl from Scarborough who may have come to Elsinby as she knew the area well after family holidays.

"Hello Lizzie, is Matron around?"

The bubbly blonde smiled brightly and said that she was and she wouldn't be a minute. She disappeared, attempting to find Matron and came back to reception five minutes later to show Phil to Matron's office.

"Are you here about the girl?"

"Yes," she sighed deeply before she answered back; "It's sad isn't it? Here we are!" She watched as Phil walked into the office, hoped that it wasn't bad news and walked back towards reception wondering if that young girl would be alright on her own out there. The world could be a scary place at times.

"We've had a report of a missing girl from Scarborough, who's exactly how you describe however, she's called Erin. Erin Summerby, her father's a police sergeant. Could it be that the girl gave a false name?"

Matron nodded, "It could be a possibility, I mean, as I said, she's clearly hiding something."

/

She's still sat on the cliffs. She likes Elsinby, she's come here sometimes on her family holidays, you know when dad wasn't beating her up. She flinches at the thought of her father discovering her, her father threatening her and waiting until she got home for a hiding.

She traces her finger along the dark bruises that's formed on the top of her arms. She remembers exactly why he inflicted them on her, she's Erin, she's the daughter he didn't want. Her mother was stupid, her mother couldn't give him a boy so instead, he took it out on his youngster daughter.

She digs her nails albeit chipped into her arm. It satisfied her for a second before she stands up.

She edges towards the cliff side and stares at the sea. It's clear blue and beautiful, the waves crashing on the rocks below. She smiles softly as she realises that all she'd have to do would be to accidently "fall" and she'd be gone.

Her nightmare would be over and it would be classed as a tragic accident.

/

With cracked lips and chipped nails, she stands on the edge of the cliff, ready to fall, ready to die, ready to be at peace for the first time in fifteen years.

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**jottings** / if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	5. CHAPTER IV

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**CHAPTER FOUR  
**_i hate how much i love you boy._

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"Sky?" There's a voice behind Erin and she doesn't know how they found her, "Erin?"

She turns, her eyes falling upon a woman. She's never seen her before and she really does want to figure out how they found her. She used a false name, she sneaked out in the middle of the night and she came here because it was deserted and nobody really want here.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Doctor Weatherill, I'm a friend of Doctor Ormerod's."

"Why are you here?"

"Because you left the hospital and Doctor Ormerod is worried about you," Jill answered. Erin bites her lower lip hard as she edges towards the edge of the cliff and stared down at the waves. To think all she'd have to do was fall. To fall would end her nightmare.

"Doctor Ormerod doesn't want to hurt you Sky, he just wants to help you."

"Liar!" The reply is quick and Jill wonders why the young girl is so afraid of men, "You're lying. Men want to get inside your mind so they can figure out your weaknesses and abuse you. All men are the same," she steps forward. Jill feels her heart almost stop beating as she realises how dangerously close she is.

"Is Sky your real name?" There isn't a verbal reply just a shake of the head before she asks; "What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing happened!" She bursts into tears, unable to hold the pain inside any longer. It's horrible, the lies she's had to tell for years. Whenever anyone saw the bruises, she'd have to lie and say she fell over or walked into something.

She'd spent years hiding the pain from people, they never saw it in her eyes.

"Come away from the edge and we'll talk," she desperately wants to take Doctor Weatherill's advice but she can't. She can't ever reveal what her father's done. He got inside her mind, he tortured it and she'll never be able to trust another man for as long as she'll live.

She goes to move off the cliff when a pair of hands wrap around her body, "Ssh, it's okay I've got you." Jill whispers into Erin's ear as the young girl sobs into her chest, wondering why things have to go wrong and why she didn't go when she still had the chance.

/

She's taken back to the hospital, taken back to the ward and as she's lying in bed, Sister Brigid smiles slightly at the girl; "We were all worried about you."

Erin doesn't answer and Brigid wonders if she'd speak if she revealed her parents were on their way, "Erin, your parents are on their way to see you." She didn't expect it. Erin picked up the glass from the bedside table and threw it in Sister Brigid's direction,

"Screw you!" She screamed as the glass hit the floor and shattered; "You told them didn't you! You told them where I was!"

She couldn't contain her anger. Her parents were on their way. Her parents were coming here and she knew the minute her father arrived, he'd lay two eyes on her and want to knock her into next week. She felt sick, she felt really sick!

"Bet you couldn't wait could you, you interferring old cow."

"What an earth is going on here?" Matron's voice interrupted Erin's outburst. She noticed that Erin looked flustered, there was broken glass in front of Sister Brigid and she looked a little shocked and worried.

"Erin objects to her parents being informed."

"You had no right, you had no right you bitch!" She went for Matron, only to be hold back by Ken Hopkirk the porter who had just brought another patient back from x-ray. He had his arms around her stomach, hoping it'll calm her down.

It had the opposite effect when she realised that a man was holding her back. A man had his arms around her, "Get your hands off me, now!" She screamed and Ken let go. She looked between Ken, Sister and Matron before she ran off, down the corridor, colliding with Doctor Weatherill as she did.

"Hey, what's the rush?" She didn't answer before she ran into the toilets, into a cubicle and locked the door behind her. When she knew she was safe, she burst into tears, her mind still overthinking what was going to happen when her father got his hands on her.

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**jottings** / if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	6. CHAPTER V

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**CHAPTER FIVE**  
_i never knew a rumour could spread._

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She didn't come out of the toilet cubicle for ages, especially not when she heard a knock on the door; "Erin it's Doctor Weatherill, do you remember me?"

"How can I forgot you," she shot back, "You're the reason I'm back here."

"You need to be here, you're not well." Erin scoffs again, "Yeah I'm not well, mentally insane as my father says."

"If there's something upsetting you, you can talk to anyone of us. We're here to help."

"So you keep saying!" She leant against the toilet door, her knees brought to her chest, rocking backwards and forwards. Mentally she's counting down the minutes until someone mentions that her father's here, she doesn't think she'll be able to look him in the eye without her guilt showing.

She can hear the gentle dripping off the tap that fills the silence between her and Jill.

"I don't want my parents here! Why did you have to tell them?"

"You've been missing for almost five days Erin, we had to inform them you were here. Is it something to do with your parents, the reason your so afraid?"

Jill isn't stupid. She can see a terrified girl when she meets one. She knows it's definitely got something to do with her parents, she heard she'd completely freaked out when Sister Brigid told her they were on their way.

"Erin?"

"There's no point, you wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Wouldn't I?"

"No."

There was a silence again. Erin heard the toilet next door flush and listened to the sound of the water going down the toilet. She pictured herself back on the cliff. She dug her chipped nails into the top of her arm and squeezed it for a second before letting go. She smiled softly when she saw fingermarks in her skin.

"Would you talk to me?"

"Maybe," she answers and rests her head against the door. She closes her eyes and whispers, "I don't get on with my parents. Well I say parents, I don't get on with my father very well but I suppose not many teenage girls do."

Jill doesn't speak, she just listens allowing Erin to take her time; "What I said on the cliffs about men only wanting to get inside your mind, I meant it. Men hurt you. They find out your weaknesses and try and remove them from you. They try to make you clean."

"What do you mean?"

"My father, he never wanted a girl. Well he did and mum gave him Amy. She was meant to have a boy though but I turned out female. He's never liked me since. He always, he always hurts me, he tells me its for my own good — he's removing the poison from me."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Erin pauses for a second, "It's not that easy Doctor, my father's a Police Sergeant. He knows people. If I reveal why I wanted to leave home, he'd make sure I was sent to an asylum and seen as crazy. Now Doctor, do you understand why I don't want my parents here?"

She stood up from the toilet and unlocked the cubicle door. As she stepped out, she felt Jill's hand on her arm. As she looked at her, Jill smiled and said gently; "It's going to be okay Erin, I promise."

/

She returns to the ward for the third time that day and apologises to Sister Brigid for throwing the glass of water in her direction and calling her all the names under the sun. She feels nervous really even when Sister Brigid forgives her because she was the only person who was nice to Erin when she first came to the ward.

Later on, when Matron does her ward round, she apologises to her too. The same reasons apply, she really shouldn't have acted like a child when she found out her parents were coming. She was fifteen years old, almost sixteen and she still threw temper-tantrums like she was two.

"You're parents are here, are you ready to see them?"

Erin makes eye contact with Sister Brigid before she nods and answers; "Yes." She swallows hard as her parents are led onto the ward, Amy, her elder sister following behind with a bunch of flowers. As they stand around the bed, Sister Brigid meets Erin's gaze and smiles.

"I'll leave you alone," she draws the curtains and walks away.

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**jottings** / if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	7. EPILOGUE

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**EPILOGUE**  
_lost and not found._

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"Why didn't you say anything?"

Her father's been arrested for assualt by Ashfordly Police. Her mother's slightly confused as to why her husband's been arrested, he's a policeman, he's a good man himself who would never break the law. She's slightly shocked to discover how he'd been hurting their youngest daughter for fifteen years.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mrs Summerby asks. Erin just shrugs her shoulders even though she knows why exactly she didn't say anything. One she may not have been believed, two her father threatened to put her into an asylum and thirdly, she didn't want to hurt her mother.

"Did you know about this Amy?" She directs the question to her oldest daughter who's sat beside Erin, their fingers entwined.

Amy looks at her sister for a second before she nods, "Yeah but Erin promised me I wouldn't tell a soul."

"So I was the only person who didn't know what was going on?" Mrs Summerby feels sad inside because she's meant to protect her children and she can't help feel like she's let Erin down. Erin was getting hurt right under her nose and she knew nothing about it.

She sits on the other side of Erin and pulls her into a hug and kisses the top of her head.

"From now on girls, promise there'll be no more secrets."

Erin looks at Amy, then her mother and then nods. All three of them hug each other tightly and Erin, ever so gently, smiles at Doctor Ormerod as he comes into the ward to talk about when Erin can go home. She tiltes her head to the side and asks;

"Doctor Ormerod, can you please thank Doctor Weatherill for me."

She smiled as she realised that possibly without needing her appendix out and trusting Doctor Weatherill enough to know the truth about her father; she might never have been free. And here she was, with her mother and her sister, neither of them blaming her for the abuse, free to move on and live the rest of her life.

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**jottings** / if you like it enough to favourite, please leave a review:3

finished. probably not one of my best work but i've had writer's block for over a month. this story is probably out of character but i feel that in order for the story to progress this was needed. thank you for the people who've reviewed! hope you like this as much as my other stories :D


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